Ruling Party: "No Central Party Intervention in Electoral Alliances... Election Committee Launches on the 10th"

Possibility of Joint Standing Election Committee Chairperson...
External Appointments Also Under Consideration

Strategic Nominations for Gongju, Buyeo, and Cheongyang
Final Decision Expected Within This Week

With the 9th nationwide local elections scheduled for June 3 approaching, the Democratic Party of Korea has announced that the central party will not intervene in discussions on candidate unification or electoral alliances raised in regions such as Ulsan and Pyeongtaek.

Junhyun Kang, Senior Spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Yonhap News

Junhyun Kang, Senior Spokesperson of the Democratic Party, met with reporters on the morning of the 7th and stated, "We will leave electoral alliances in each region to the judgment of the local chapters," adding, "The central party will not intervene."

In addition, Senior Spokesperson Kang said, "On the 10th, we will hold the inauguration ceremony for the Central Election Countermeasures Committee." He continued, "The party leader will naturally serve as the standing election committee chairperson, but there were also suggestions to recruit outside figures as co-chairpersons." He added, "We are considering a variety of options, including AI experts and young professionals."

Regarding nominations for the by-election of National Assembly members in Gongju, Buyeo, and Cheongyang in South Chungcheong Province, Kang explained that they are considering the candidacies of former National Gongju University President Seongsoo Won and a young legal professional, aiming to finalize the matter within this week. He further added, "There are still some regions where nominations have not been completed, but since candidate registration will take place on the 14th and 15th, we expect everything to be finalized by early next week."

Senior Spokesperson Kang also clarified that the decision to postpone the handling of the 'Special Prosecution Act on Fabricated Indictments' until after the June 3 local elections was not made with electoral advantage in mind. Kang explained, "It has always taken at least one or two months for special prosecution bills to be enacted," and stressed, "We need to hold discussions with the opposition party. We did not proceed based on electoral calculations." He added, "The bill will undergo sufficient opinion gathering from citizens and party members, as well as thorough discussions among party lawmakers regarding the timing, procedures, and content. The timing for handling the bill will be after the local elections," he emphasized.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.